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You may have heard the news of the forthcoming release of Voices: Chant from Avignon which is to be released on 8 November by Decca Records (here is a link to the Track List.) The above photo shows Dickon Stainer, Managing Director of Decca, passing the contract through the grille in the parlour of the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation in France. You may also have seen the promo video which is good. I chose another video which I'll post tomorrow.

If you haven't heard the news, you can look up any one of the 546 stories currently listed on Google News or read any of the 1390 results from the blog search. (The YouTube video has had 38,755 views since it was uploaded last Sunday.) Unfortunately given the massive interest in the new CD, and the fact that most journalists mention the fact that Decca also publishes the songs of someone called "Lady GaGa", it is not a good idea to try to find pictures of the Abbey or the nuns on Google Images.

Via the excellent messainlatino.it, this video shows the schola Exsurge Domine, a young group of singers who got together to provide the music for the usus antiquior Mass celebrated every Sunday and Holyday at the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Cagliari by Monsignor Dante Usai.

Their style recovers some of the connection between the western and byzantine traditions of chant and reminds me of the schola which sang at the Masses I celebrated in Estonia last year. Here they are rehearsing the singing of Kyrie "Cunctipotens" of Mass IV.

The Good Counsel blog Maria Stops Abortion carries a moving and important story about bad advice given by a doctor and by what was then the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council and one person's reason for gratitude that the advice was rejected.

This is the photo we've all been waiting for - the intrepid three with their bikes at St Peter's. They cycled 1320.52 miles to get there - except Greg who had to cut a bit of the cycling out on account of an inconsiderate lamp post somewhere near Piacenza which had the bad manners to leap out and knock him off his bike. He did have the consolation of a brief stay with the Franciscans of the Immaculate in Florence. I'm proud to hear that they asked him to serve Low Mass which he of course can do without any problem. He admitted to me that because he did not have a cassock in the pannier, nor a Franciscan habit, nor black shoes, he had to serve in a cream coloured alb and trainers. Unfortunately, we haven't got a picture to show the MC.

There are many more pictures Pictures from Rome over at the Via Romea blog but I put this next one in just to stir Swiss Guard fan Carolina Cannonball to undying enmity of Anna Marie who got to chat to them:

A little late, I know, but warmest congratulations to Thomas Skeats and Robert Gay who were ordained last Saturday at Blackfriars in Oxford by Bishop Longley, and the internet's finest Catholic photographer, Fra Lawrence Lew who was ordained deacon.

Fra Lawrence has written about his love for photography and you can browse over 7000 photographs in his Flickr photostream. I knew that I was in some of them so I had a look through some of the sets...

On the Godzdogz blog there is also this video from 1964 to promote vocations to the Dominican order. A Dominican priest, ordained ten years, reflects on his own vocation to explore God's truth together with his brothers under Mary's protection. There is some fascinating footage of the Dominican rite of Mass.

It is always encouraging to hear good news and I am delighted that the Dominicans both here and in Ireland are flourishing.

Rorate Caeli has posted videos from YouTube which show in five sections a documentary on the life of Caravaggio, whose 400th anniversary was on 18 July. The programme focusses particularly on the painting The Taking of Christ which belongs to the Irish Jesuits and is currently housed in the National Gallery of Ireland.

Programmes which are uploaded in ten minute segments are easier to view if they are in a playlist. You can then click on the playlist and the clips will automatically start up in sequence. I have made a playlist of these videos at my YouTube channel so if it is helpful do click on the link: The Private Life of an Easter Masterpiece: the Taking of Christ.

Fr Z reports on an upcoming film There Be Dragons, a drama set during the Spanish civil war which has various themes running through it, including the story of the young St Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. The film is made by Roland Joffe who directed The Mission.

At the official site, you can currently see a trailer but not much else. There is a Wikipedia page with more information, and Marcel at Aggie Catholics reports on a pre-release screening. The film is scheduled to be released later this year or early next year. I'm rather looking forward to it.

Not having put candles in my ear before, I was intrigued by this sign in Chislehurst advertising Hopi Ear Candles (with the promise of more.) Now people often deride Wikipedia because of the edit wars that go on over entries concerning politicians or celebrities; but the relentless drive for citations and neutral point of view does have its advantages when it comes to an objective assessment of such things as ear candling. Reading the entry over dinner was most entertaining.

In the "therapy" of ear candling, a cylinder or cone of waxed cloth is placed into the ear and lit, creating "negative pressure" (that sounds scientific, doesn't it?) Supposedly it thus draws wax and debris out of the ear canal. In fact, the material that results has been found to be residue from the burnt cloth. The FDA in America has warned that the practice is dangerous, for the eminently sensible reason that,"the use of a lit candle in the proximity of a person's face would car…

Father mentions the possibility of setting up something along the lines of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy which our Aussie brothers have run so successfully for many years. I know that there are plenty of priests who are interested. We really need someone who has the time and energy to get this going.

Here's the text of the letter but please do go over to the post at Fr Blake's blog to sign it.We, priests of England and Wales, wish to express our joy at the forthcoming visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Britain.

We welcome the many wise things the Holy Father said to us through our Bishops on their ad limina visit earlier this year which are of particular significance to the health of the Church in England and Wales, such as "the Catholic community in your country needs to speak with a united voice" and the need "t…

The Transalpine Redemptorists have posted an update on Our Lady's Garden showing photos of the massive greenhouse at various stages of preparation. Although they are still experimenting, they have, since March, been able to produce their own flowers for the altar.

The Kiwifruit vine was unsuccessful and, after three years, they are asking "why cumbereth it the ground?" (Lk 13.7) By way of contrast, the grapes have grown, and they have had a crop of juicy peaches, leading them to ask whether theirs are the most northerly peaches in the world.

Elizabeth Scalia, "The Anchoress", over at First Things is planning a trip to Rome to do some loud pounding on desks while yelling "Stupido! STUPIDO!" This is in view of the obvious public relations disaster that was the announcement of new norms for dealing with priests who commit crimes against minors, and various other delicts such as, well, the attempted ordination of women. (See: The Vatican’s Epic Fail – UPDATE) This is much along the same lines as Damian Thompson's post of last week.

For an alternative view of the announcement, read Fr John Boyle's expert analysis and for a solidly neutral assessment, there is John Allen.

For what it is worth, my own position would be nearer to that of Elizabeth Scalia and Damian Thompson. (The Catholic Herald also has a good article on the matter this week.)

The Holy See should consider the public impact of its statements, taking into account the fact that many journalists, and not only those hard-wired to seize on…

Joseph Shaw at the LMS Chairman's blog has news from the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate. They are appealing for benefactors to help them start a new community in Darlington. If you have the funds, you could own a beautiful building and do a good work for the Lord in letting the Sisters use it for its proper purpose. The photo above is of the sisters at Lanhearne and is from Joseph Shaw's flickr set. Here is the information from Lanhearne:Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate, Lanherne Cornwall

DARLINGTON CARMEL (one of the very early Carmels to be established in England [1830]) is up for sale. The very few remaining sisters are soon to move out. At Lanherne we have known about this for several months and we have been to visit the establishment. Wonderful for our needs! The Sisters are not going to leave Lanherne, in fact another house is needed as a new foundation. The Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate have a goodly number of vocations; especially sisters who at the m…

Two good rhymes:mRNA mitochondria
That back in the day once belonged to ya

[...]

I roomed in your womb for nine whole months and never paid the rent
Your glucocorticoids shaped my hypothalmic developmentIn a whimsical way, and perhaps without intending to explicity, this song has a "light touch" pro-life message woven in (or perhaps "spiralled".)

Protect the Pope.com is a new website which counters attacks on Pope Benedict’s reputation and integrity, and provides information and resources for Catholics to respond to incidents that constitute incitement to religious hatred.

At the launch of Protect the Pope.com Rev Nick Donnelly, a permanent deacon of Lancaster Diocese who set up the site, said:‘Its been said that anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice, and in a way we Catholics have colluded in this by ignoring it, hoping it will go away. But the personal attacks on Pope Benedict in the run up to the Papal visit show us its not going away.

Since 2006 we’ve had the legal right to protect ourselves from religious hatred. Of course people in this country have freedom of expression, but this does not mean they have the right to create a climate of hostility and fear. It’s a question of protecting our human rights to freedom of belief and freedom of worship.’The website gives information on the law regarding hate crime …

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III assumed office on June 30 and the Philippine Bishops have wasted no time in calling on him not to promote a contraceptive mentality.

In a previous post, I gave some of the figures from the UNAIDS report showing the enormous difference between the Philippines and Thailand, in numbers of people living with HIV. It is not surprising that the Philippine Bishops should be concerned to avoid the same disastrous policy in their country.

Speaking on behalf of his brother bishops, Bishop Nereo Odchimar of Tandag, the president of the bishops’ conference, said:Among the many concerns, the media has shown a particular concern on sex education and reproductive health bills. There are no changes in the stand of the Church. Human life starts at conception, and conception takes place at the fertilization of the egg by the sperm. Human life is a gift of God and has to be respected and protected from conception till natural death. The Church is always concerne…

NLM has a full translation of an interview given by Cardinal Cañizares Llovera to the German Catholic newspaper Die Tagespost on the occasion of the third anniversary of the publication of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.

He praises Bishop Dominique Rey of Toulon as an excellent man who is implementing in his diocese the concept of the hermeneutic of continuity with evident good fruits. He also recommends priests to make their preparation for Mass as is provided for in the traditional books.

I was especially struck by his words concerning the participation of young people in the Sacred Liturgy:We need a new introduction to Christianity. Also for children and young people. An introduction to the liturgy does not only mean to know something about the celebration, although of course that is indispensable both theologically and doctrinally. Young people and children should participate in liturgies celebrated with great dignity, which are entirely permeated by the mystery of God in w…

One of the great treasures of the National Gallery is Leonardo da Vinci's The Virgin of the Rocks. The masterpiece has recently been cleaned, leading to the cautious conclusion of the curator that "it now seems possible that Leonardo painted all the picture himself".

In a fascinating article for the Guardian: The Virgin of the Rocks: Da Vinci decoded, Jonathan Jones shares his enthusiasm for the painting itself: "Once you've seen it, everything else in this collection looks like flat daubs.") and the restoration: "Conservative this restoration may be in style, but its implications are revolutionary."

Telegraph blogger, Harry Mount Harry Mount also has a warm appreciation of the restoration which overcame his "ingrained scepticism about over-cleaning".

It is a great privilege to be within close reach of such treasures in London. I will be slogging through the transport network this evening on my way to Lichfield, but will not have time t…

LMS Chairman Joseph Shaw reports on an Exchange with the Tablet concerning the age of those who attend old rite Masses. In the post, he has some fine photos of the Chartres Pilgrimage, including the one above.

In the course of his post, he says, as an aside:Still, we don't read The Tablet for logic. We read it for self-mortification.I must say that I admire Joe's fortitude. I take the easy option, fasting on bread and water, wearing a hair shirt and scourging myself with chains.

In the course of her article, Hansen tells of the commemoration last Friday of the 120 martyrs canonised by Pope John Paul. She highlights the example of 18 year old Chi Zhuzi who was preparing for Baptism and refused to renounce the faith when he was captured and tortured during the Boxer Rising in 1900. Even when his right arm was cut off, he refused to deny Christ, telling his tormentors:“Every piece of my flesh, every drop of my blood will tell you that I am Christian.”He was eventually flayed alive.

At the Vatican website, you can see a summary for St Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions who die…

@summatheologiae has set out to post an abridged version of St Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae via Twitter. He explains:The goal: 1 article per weekday, broken up into a few tweets. I'll do my best to be brief & funny and inspire you to look up the original.That is not at all as daft as it might sound. Even following a summary of the Summa in this way would be very beneficial; and as the fellow says, it should prompt you to look up the original.

There are plenty of sites with an English translation of the Summa. Out of habit, I have always used the New Advent site which is helpfully laid out. @summatheologiae points to a Dominican site with nice printable pdfs of the Summa in the 1920 Dominican translation so you can print out a particular question (or article) to take with you on the train.

For those who know Latin, there is the monumental Corpus Thomisticum which has all the works of St Thomas Aquinas in the original Latin, as well as several other useful resources.

A Catholic priest who pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a 13 year old girl at a colleague's house was originally charged in the late 1970s with six offences including rape and sodomy, but negotiated a plea bargain. He served 42 days in a US secure psychiatric unit. He has always maintained he was promised a short sentence, but he fled the US after hearing rumours that the judge was about to re-sentence him for a much longer term.

Recently, he has spent some time under house arrest in Switzerland, electronically tagged, and anxiously awaiting the outcome of his extradition trial. He has now been set free after the Swiss government rejected the request from the Los Angeles District Attorney for his return to the US.

The French Culture Minister said that the time for calm had come and that the Catholic priest's rich personality, and his universally admired works should all regain their standing.

The philosopher Bernard Henri-Levy said:"Switzerland has found the path to r…

Hoping to help you smile as you hit the desk this morning, let me treat you to an exchange from the Health and Drugs section of Questionland ("Questions and Answers about Life in Seattle")where can i find shoes without any rubber in the soles?
i read some research that separation from the earth, for example via insulative shoes and spending all day in buildings, is detrimental to health because we are electrochemical beings and our charge becomes too positive (too many electrons/free radicals). the soil/earth is negatively charged and adsorbs the excess electrons thus acting as a natural antioxidant bringing us back into balance. i'd like to walk without insulative shoes to see for myself. the only other suggested way to connect with the earth is to sleep with a foil blanket connected to a rod that is driven into the earth outside. that doesn't seem natural to me, although people seem to like it.The "Greatest Answer" was from A. Noyd:If you're keen to …

The cyclists have posted more news today; they have finally found an internet café after getting blank looks from people, so kudos to Dampierre-sur-Salon. They will be in Besançon this evening, enjoying a campsite with running water before heading into the Alps tomorrow.

Yesterday they had experience of the life of the Church in France:Day 7
Sunday. Left early to try and find a church. Thought we'd head for the nearest big city, Chaumont. It had a basilica and 2 churches, can't go wrong we thought... but no, no Mass all Sunday, so we cycled over to the next village to a new age shed church for Mass. The basilica round the corner was much better designed for the French summer... meltdown.Go over to the Via Romea blog for the full update and for some pictures. The one above is from Day 5 (Friday) when they cycled into Rheims in the morning. It looks for all the world as though they are going to cycle up the nave of Rheims Cathedral.

Catholicism pure & simple is a new Catholic team-blog. Already there are articles from half a dozen contributors who hail from around the globe. They include one priest.

The blog describes itself as follows:Catholicism Pure is for Catholics who love their Faith untainted by the heresy of Modernism or the implacable nature and mediocrity of the “New Church” that has emerged following Vatican II. We aim to defend and propagate authentic Catholic teaching, educate our readers about the Catholic Faith in all its “Splendour of Truth”, spread knowledge and love of traditional Catholic culture and be a lash to the backs of those clergy and laity whose quasi or actual heresy is destroying our and our children’s Catholic Faith.So far, the blog isn't as polemical as that introduction sounds; the postings cover a range of range of subjects. This morning, Frere Rabbit has a personal story from Parkminster, God will know the name.

Each local council in England and Wales is required to have a Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) with representation from people of different faiths, to advise the Local Education Authority. (Their advice is directed to state schools, not Catholic schools.)

In Stoke on Trent, the SACRE has recently published a Public Document Pack which includes advice on Ramadan.Sex and relationship education
Whilst fasting, Muslims are not permitted to engage in any sexual relations and are expected to take measures to avoid sexual thoughts and discourse. Schools are therefore advised to avoid scheduling the teaching of sex and relationship education, including aspects that are part of the science curriculum, during Ramadan.Other sections advise schools to avoid parents' evenings and after school functions during the fast, and to avoid swimming lessons because of the danger of accidentally swallowing water. There is also advice on Muslim requirements for modesty, particula…

Friday's update on the Via Romea blog has the young cyclists from Blackfen reaching Chalons en Champagne that afternoon, and intending to make some more ground in the evening. I heard from their Dad today that they had reached Chaumont yesterday. This is not bad going at all.

The family had visual updates, tear-off slips for the web address to donate, and cakes for the children after Mass this morning. The cakes were a good idea - they made people stop around and look at the display. They were also scrumptious so many thanks to Rachel and Elizabeth who made them.

If you haven't already donated (Mary's Meals & Cardinal Winning Pro-Life Initiative), call on over to the Fundraising page.

The All-Ireland Rally for Life which was held a week ago in Belfast, was a great success with large crowds, a youthful upbeat feel, and powerful speeches in defence of human life. Organised by a coalition of pro-life groups including Precious Life, Youth Defence and the Life Institute, the rally attracted about 4000 people.

Speaker Niamh Uí Bhriain of the Life Institute told the rally that the most immediate threat to life in Ireland was the proposal to allow experimentation on human embryos which is being proposed by Health Minister Mary Harney. Other speakers at the rally were Fr Sylvester Mann from Priests for Life Ireland and the Reverend George Hargreaves of the UK Christian Party.

The Rally also received support from several Bishops. Bishop Boyce of Raphoe said,"Life is our most precious gift. The ‘All-Ireland Rally for Life’ is a celebration of life. To attend or take part in it in any way is a worthwhile endeavour to pursue as Catholics. We stand up for God's gift of…

Not surprisingly, I suppose, these boybands have long been popular at events on the gay scene which have proved a lucrative sideline for them. Now it seems that the fashion is to be more openly ambiguous and milk the gay market at the same time as appealing to teenage girls. You can go to all the little epsilons for the link to their interview with Bent magazine in which the members of Inju5tice submissively respond to questions such as which male star they would like to date, and what brand of "undies" is their favourite.

As epsilon observes in their list of engagements, their tour includes visits to several Catholic schools. I'm not sure what the value is of inviting them into schools at all, still less Catholic schools. Catholic parents who are conscienti…

Over a year ago, I mentioned the new film about Fatima called The 13th Day. The film opened in the USA in October, and today I received the good news that it is now available to order in the UK via Amazon. I ordered my copy today and look forward to seeing it.

Changeling Theatre in conjunction with the Hazlitt Arts Centre have a summer Shakespeare Tour, staging The Merry Wives of Windsor at various outdoor venues in Kent, set in the 1950s with skiffle songs, and outfits of the period.

This evening the performance was held at Ightham Mote, a 14th century moated house; its historical and architectural importance may be guessed from the fact that it has a Grade 1 listed dog kennel.

My sister Sarah played the part of Mistress Page. The Changeling publicity billed her as follows: Sarah Finigan is Mistress Page, one of the Merry Wives, returning after an absence of TWO years. And boy did the audiences miss her. Sarah ( or as we call her, Fin) has appeared in TWELFTH NIGHT as Maria, the Nurse in ROMEO & JULIET, a witch and Lady Bracknell in MACBETH & THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST. The last time we saw her was in THE BEGGARS OPERA/TAMING OF THE SHREW. She is going to be hilarious.(She was.) Sarah is pictured here in Act II, Scene I whe…

Rich Mastrogiacomo is a third year seminarian studying for the sacred Priesthood in Rome. He has a great love for music and now writes popular style melodies and songs for Our Lord. For more details, see his "About" page at the blog "That Most Holy Heart".

One project that Rich has been engaged on recently is setting background music to some of the words of Archbishop Fulton Sheen. The one in which Archbishop Sheen speaks of The Hour of Testing is quite inspiring.

In his General Audience address today, the last before his summer break, the Holy Father returned to the figure of the Blessed John Duns Scotus, commenting that "in this great Christocentric vision, the Incarnate Word appears as the centre of history and the cosmos." Such an affirmation from the Holy Father is always music to the ears of those of us in the Faith Movement who promote just such a vision of Christ as centre and Lord of history and of the cosmos.

As Sandro Magister has commented in his Italian language blog Settimo Caelo, the question of the primacy of the will in Scotist theology raises the question which the Holy Father himself brought up with regard to Islam in his Regensburg lecture. An absolute and innate freedom opens up the possibility of a God who is not tied to the true and the good. However, Pope Benedict points out that the desire to preserve an absolute transcendence of the impenetrable will of God does not take account of the fact that God is reveal…

Today is the third anniversary of the publication of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum which established that the older form of the Mass has never been abrogated and that in consequence, no permission is needed to celebrate Mass or the other sacraments in that form. In the letter accompanying the Motu Proprio, the Holy Father said:In the history of the liturgy there is growth and progress, but no rupture. What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place.On Saturday, 7 July 2007, we celebrated the old Mass in my parish and afterwards had a little champagne and cake.

The effect of Summorum Pontificum has been extraordinary in itself. Although there are some dioceses around the world where positive obstruction is attempted, in many cases the r…

Dr Pravin Thevathasan, a psychiatrist with over twenty years' experience, who also holds a Masters in medical ethics and law, has written a very helpful booklet on Abortion and Mental Health in which he examines the psychological consequences of induced abortion. He notes:Perhaps the most important statement in this study is that, while over ninety per cent of abortions are done on the ground that continuation of the pregnancy would lead to serious damage to teh women's mental health, there is no evidence that abortion reduces the mental health risks of unwanted pregnancy. Indeed no study has reported that it reduces mental health risks - a fact which surely challenges the use of psychiatric reasons for justifying abortion.Another important point is that grieving after abortion is difficult because the woman is just expected to carry on and "snap out of it" and indeed, such grief is frowned upon by society. This booklet would be of help to clergy in understanding one…

The other day, I posted a video of the Commencement Speech given in Latin by Mary Ann Marks. Many thanks to Gillineau in the combox for passing on the news from the Harvard Gazette that Mary Ann is entering the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. It is wonderful to hear this: please say a prayer for Mary Ann. Here is the text from the Harvard Gazette:Queens, N.Y., native Mary Anne Marks is a classics and English joint concentrator who fell in love with the Latin language by studying Cicero’s Catilinarian Orations. “The links between Latin and Romance languages are fascinating, and, at the same time, Latin has the ability to say things in ways that are not available to Romance languages or to English,” said Marks. “I mused about ideas for the speech for weeks before setting pen to paper, and, once I’d picked a topic, I consulted with friends and acquaintances from various departments to make sure it spoke to their experiences at Harvard.” In the fall, Marks is headed t…

Neil Addison at the Religion Law blog, has taken a look at the Supremem Court's refusal to review a decision of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals concerning the possibility of prosecuting the Holy See in the US courts. He concludes that it is not as important as it appears. I give his summary of the court's decision below, but the article contains further details.The Holy See is a Sovereign State under US LawThe Holy See can only be sued in the US on the same basis as any Sovereign State and enjoys exactly the same immunity from suit as any other Sovereign StateCatholic Diocese and Organisations in the US are not “Agents or Instrumentalities” of the Holy See and the Holy See cannot be held liable for their actionsThe Holy See can only be sued with respect to the Acts of its “employees” and not for the acts of Catholic Priests etc generally(Thanks to Karen for correcting my earlier version of this post.)

Sometimes people ask for a simple explanation of the difference between sacred music which is suitable for the liturgy, and secular music which is not. This video is an excellent attempt to promote music worthy of the Sacred Liturgy.

I found this over at Corpus Christi Watershed located at Corpus Christi, Texas, where you can also find some three part polyphonic motets, newly composed by Kevin Allen.

Anna-Marie Treloar, one of my young parishioner (left in the photo) went to the Invocation 2010 weekend. At my request, she kindly wrote this report:Invocation 2010
The event, probably best described as a youth festival celebrating and promoting religious vocations, was billed by the organizers as ‘the first of its kind in England and Wales’. The weekend was structured around basic liturgy of Divine Office and Daily Mass, with talks from keynote speakers and a selection of workshops.

For me, the talks were the highlight of the event. The first speaker, Abbot Christopher Jamison, spoke about the theology behind the idea of vocation, setting the tone for the weekend. The second talk by Dr Andrew O’Connell was a brilliantly delivered, energetic and encouraging look at the need for vocations today, and how fulfillment can never ultimately be found in a digital age of instant gratification, but only in Christ. The last speaker I heard was Sr Gabriel Davison, who gave a very personal, beaut…

Stuart McCullough of the Good Counsel Network deals on a daily basis with mothers in crisis pregnancies and is acutely aware of the damage done by the promotion of contraception, sex education, and the cruel deception of the illusion of a risk free lifestyle. Naturally he is also opposed to abortion. After a long of pulling funny faces when I mentioned that the internet and especially blogs could help his apostolate, Stuart has recently thrown in the towel and started a blog himself: Ecumenical Diablog. It's worth having that one in your blogroll.

Mary Anne Marks delivers the Latin salutatory at Harvard's 2010 commencement ceremonies. I was worried at first with the number of saluETE's and the arm waving, but it gets better and is a good oration. It is good to see such a tradition maintained.

The pronunciation is that favoured in English and US classical faculties and schools rather than the Italianate imposed by Pope St Pius X. I don't really think there is a good reason for that uniformity; and neither did Fr Adrian Fortescue.

Here is the info for this amazing video on YouTubeStephen Wiltshire from London is a star among savants. Stephen is autistic. He did not speak his first words "pencil" and "paper" until he was 5. Yet, when he was 11 he drew a perfect aerial view of London after only one helicopter ride. For this film we're testing the "Living camera" in Rome. (ColourField production)

The Good Counsel Network's blog Maria Stops Abortion reports on the faithful support of Bishop Thomas McMahon of Brentwood for the pro-life peaceful prayer vigils of the Helpers of God's Precious Infants outside the Marie Stopes Abortion facility at Buckhurst Hill, Essex. They point out that 100% of the Bishops of Brentwood attend while only 5% of priests do, and 1% of laity. So the invitation goes out to you to attend if you are in reach of Buckhurst Hill next Saturday 10 July. For more details, see: Bishop does 99% better than his lay faithful for praying at abortuary

See also the important post looking at the supercilious question "Why do these girls keep getting pregnant?" One significant factor is the aggressive promotion of contraception. The Good Counsel Network deal on a daily basis with women in crisis because of an unwanted pregnancy. The vast majority of their clients have been using one or more forms of contraception.

On Thursday, I posted an item about Fr Lang's forthcoming talk at the London Oratory: Fr Michael Lang to speak at "Call to Youth" on translations. In the post, I wrote that the Call to Youth meetings are restricted to those aged 18-35 and asked people not to "gatecrash" if they were outside the age limit.

I have heard from the Oratory that in fact, for this talk only, as an exception, ALL are invited.

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On the feast of St Ignatius, I offer my prayers and good wishes to some great Jesuits. Just off the top of my head, I think of Fr Joseph Fessio SJ the founder of Ignatius Press which has not only published the English translations of various works of Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict, but has also given a break for good Catholic authors both of theology and of Catholic fiction. Then there is Fr Bob Spitzer SJ, with whom I studied in Rome many years ago, and Fr Paul Mankowski SJ who has written some superb articles over the years. Here in England, I recall Fr Anthony Meredith SJ, the great fatherly commentator on the Fathers of Cappadocia and in Rome, there is Fr Gilles Pelland SJ, the fierce French-Canadian patristics scholar was a bit harsh when I first arrived in the Holy City, but seemed to soften a bit when after 5 years he seeme satisfied that, though English, I was not a modernist.

Many of my Jesuit priest friends and mentors have now reached “that night when no man can work” an…

Like the French with Gallicanism, the Americans have been unfortunate enough to have a heresy named after them. Americanism was the name given to a loose collection of erroneous opinions related to minimising authority, in teaching, spiritual direction and religious life, and in cultivating a too radical separation of Church and State. In his encyclical letter Longinqua Oceani of 1895, Pope Leo XIII condemned the view “that it would be universally lawful or expedient for State and Church to be, as in America, dissevered and divorced.” (n.6) and went on to say that “[the Church] would bring forth more abundant fruits if, in addition to liberty, she enjoyed the favor of the laws and the patronage of the public authority.”

Some time ago, at an academic conference on Liturgy that featured contributions from people of various different faiths, I was interested to chat to a Reformed (or Liberal) Rabbi who was frank about some similarities between the controversy within Judaism over liturgy and some of the things he had heard about the reaction to traditional Catholic liturgy. He also lamented wistfully that it was his younger worshippers who wanted him to offer the prayers in Hebrew and face the same way as them when praying.

More recently, I found this guide on Judaism 101: Jewish Liturgy setting out the differences in worship that a visitor might find between the various movements within JudaismIn Orthodox synagogues, women and men are seated separately; in Reform and Conservative, all sit together. See The Role of Women in the Synagogue.In Orthodox and usually Conservative, everything is in Hebrew. In Reform, most is done in English, though they are increasingly using Hebrew.In Orthodox, the person lea…

I go to Confession twice a year, at Easter and Christmas because I feel I should. My I find it difficult to know what to say as I no longer seem to be assailed by the temptations of earlier years. One priest told me rather irritably not to come to Confession if I had nothing to say.
I am sorry to hear that a priest was irritated with you. Say a prayer for him asking the Lord to give him the virtue of patience. I don’t agree with his advice. In your letter, you spoke of another priest who encouraged you to go to confession more frequently. He is on the right lines, I think. People who go to confession frequently usually remember more to confess. This is not because they are greater sinners but because their conscience becomes more sensitive to venial sins. This is not some kind of morbid “guilt” but a desire for holiness in small things. When you say that you do not have the temptations you used to have, perhaps you are thinking that the sacrament is only for mortal sins.